For Immediate Release July 28,2009 Media Contact - Allison Tratner - 609.292.4524 - allison@arts.sos.state.nj.us State Arts Council Votes Fiscal Year 2010 Grant Awards Approves $14,477,765 in Support of Hundreds of Arts Organizations, Projects and Artists, Awards Federal Stimulus Funds for Job Preservation in the Arts, Elects Officers and Announces Plans for the Year (Trenton, NJ) At its 43rd Annual Meeting today at the New Jersey State Museum Auditorium, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts voted to disburse awards totaling $14,477,765 in state and Federal resources from the National Endowment for the Arts including Federal Stimulus funds. These grants will support more than 800 arts organizations, programs, projects and artists across the state. In addition, the Council elected new officers and outlined plans for the coming year. In commenting on the results of the meeting, outgoing Council Chair Carol Herbert stated, “Our State government is faced with enormous fiscal challenges and we are all feeling repercussions of the economic climate.” Referring to the 25% reduction in funding for the Arts Council this year she stated, “The Council’s highest priority right now is to help New Jersey’s arts community maintain stability in every way we can so that it can continue to serve audiences, artists and communities statewide.” She went on to emphasize how the arts are a powerful tool in addressing issues of high priority including bolstering state and local economies, ensuring excellence in education, increasing tourism and fostering quality healthcare. In a message to the audience of hundreds of arts administrators, board members, artists and volunteers, Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells delivered remarks about how the state’s vast array of cultural assets helps to shape New Jersey as a desirable destination providing unique experiences for travelers to every region of the state. She went on to praise and thank the arts community for its commitment to excellence and encouraged continued collaboration with the state’s Destination Marketing Organizations to help increase their visibility. The principal order of business was the award of FY10 funding totaling $12,871,616 in more than 200 matching grants and $1,585,759 in 31 cosponsored projects that support state and regional initiatives and partnerships in arts education, showcasing New Jersey artists, accessibility for people with disabilities, community and regional development, healthcare and arts promotion. Additionally the Council approved $20,390 in funding for seven Folk Arts Apprenticeships. Twenty-one of the matching grants, totaling $1,665,550, are awarded to County Arts Agencies for local arts development, which helps to support an additional 550 local arts organizations and projects statewide. The Council also recommended up to $413,987 for 15 stabilization project grants to the Cultural Trust board, pending availability of grant funds from the Trust’s interest earnings. Among the grants awarded was $336,400 to 16 arts organizations to help preserve jobs made possible by Federal funding from the Nation Endowment for the Arts under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Congress provided a total of $50 million in the Federal Stimulus Package in recognition of the role of the arts in the Nation’s economy. In New Jersey alone the nonprofit arts industry generates $1.2 billion in the State’s economy and supports 17,000 businesses and $77,000 jobs. Judith Leone, chair of the Council’s Grants Committee noted in presenting the funding recommendations within the context of a 25% budget reduction, “So much good work is done everyday by so many of you – the artists and arts organizations throughout New Jersey – it is painful to contemplate any reduction in funding. When all is said and done we believe that we are recommending the best possible way to invest these funds in a responsible way to serve the needs of the entire state, advance the arts and help build better communities.” In addition, 36 organizations and projects that received the highest evaluations from the peer panel reviewing the applications were recognized with Citations of Excellence. Forty-five groups were designated or confirmed as Major Arts, Presenting or Service Organizations in recognition of their history of excellence, the breadth of their impact, and their longstanding leadership. These organizations serve as anchor cultural institutions of the state. In other business, the Council adopted an agency program plan for the fiscal year, a blueprint for advancing the goals of the Council and the state Arts Plan, and reports from the Executive, Arts Education, Public Value, Nominating and Grants Committees iterated accomplishments from the past year and the Committees’ priorities for FY10. The Council also elected officers for the year including Sharon Burton Turner of Montclair as chair, Judith Leone of Toms River as 1st vice chair and Ofelia Garcia of Jersey City as 2nd vice chair. Ms. Burton Turner replaces Carol Herbert of Point Pleasant who held the post for five years, the longest in Council history. “Carol brought great enthusiasm and dedication to her role as chair and has set the bar very high“, remarked Ms. Burton Turner. “She steps down having built a strong foundation and I look forward to building on the accomplishments made under her leadership and further advancing the arts to serve the people of New Jersey.” In addition the Council acknowledged outgoing Member Elizabeth Christopherson who stepped down this year after 27 years of distinguished service on the Council and to the arts community at large. The Council also took the opportunity to publicly recognize The Newark Museum which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. With a tribute that included a clip from a State of the Arts episode about the Museum, the Arts Council praised the Museum’s position as one of the state’s cultural gems with a long-standing history of excellent exhibitions, exemplary arts education programming and outstanding service to the community.